№ 37Putu zupa

Hot wine foam soup Serves 4 · 15 minutes · Adapted from the 1796 recipe; not yet tested.

The book gives ½ stops of wine and 8 whole eggs, which converts to about 640 ml and 8. That's already the right size for 4.

Ingredients

• 640 ml white wine, such as a dry or off-dry Riesling (or half wine, half water; see Notes)
• 8 very fresh eggs
• 3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. In a large, heavy saucepan (it should hold at least three times the volume, as the soup rises), whisk the eggs with the sugar and cinnamon. Whisk in the cold wine. 2. Set the pan over low to medium heat and whisk hard and constantly, reaching into the corners, for 8–10 minutes. The soup turns frothy, then starts to rise and thicken. 3. Keep whisking until it is thick, foamy and hot, at least 72 °C. Don't let it boil, or the eggs will scramble. If it starts to look grainy at the edges, lift the pan off the heat and keep whisking. 4. Pour into warmed bowls and serve at once, before the foam sinks.

Notes

• What the book says vs. what we added: the book has you beat 8 whole eggs cold with a little sugar and cinnamon, set them on the fire in a large pot and beat hard until the soup rises in foam, then serve at once. The book doesn't say exactly when the wine goes in; we whisk it in cold with the eggs. The temperature and the timings are ours.
• Food safety: the eggs are only lightly cooked, so heat the soup until it's properly hot and thickened (72 °C or above), and use very fresh eggs. Whisking in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water is slower (about 15 minutes) but makes it harder to scramble the eggs.
• Alcohol: a few minutes at this temperature drives off little of it. The book's lighter version, half wine and half water (320 ml of each), is a good alternative.
• Context: a warm wine foam like Italian zabaione or French sabayon, but made with whole eggs and served as a soup. 01-038 is a richer variant with more eggs, lemon and a cinnamon stick.